Health Studies
Faculty of Health
BHS
Full-Time, Part-Time
Yes
Yes
Yes
Health care is undergoing fundamental change from solely treating acute illness to focusing on a person’s whole needs for wellness—where physical health, mental health and social supports are explored—involving a team of health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, mental health specialists and others. In this new model, health managers, information specialists and policy experts are fundamentally important to leading the change and York’s Health Studies program prepares students for careers in these dynamic fields.
Are you interested in health but are not sure you want to be a doctor or a nurse? Did you know that non-clinical health professions are among the fastest growing occupations in Canada? Did you know that doctors and nurses rely upon health managers, information specialists and policy experts to ensure that our health care system serves our needs and is sustainable? That’s because health managers oversee systems to ensure the quality of care and services for patients, information specialists provide and analyze data that hospital executives rely upon to make decisions, and policy specialists advise governments on the best ways to meet patient and broader societal needs today and in the future.
The demand for Health Professionals including Health Care Consultants, Information Specialists and Policy Analysts has grown by more than 50% between 2007 and 2017 (Higher Education Strategy Associates).
Our program emphasizes an approach to health that focuses on broader societal issues. As such, it would build upon students' already acquired knowledge of the basic sciences of biology, chemistry and physics, but such a foundation is not necessary or required to master the material provided in our courses.
Health Management
Bachelor of Health Studies (BHS)
Specialized Honours
With a growing population and demand for more health services, one of the fastest growing professions is that of health care manager. In the health management program, students learn about the health system from an organizational perspective through courses that cover health management, leadership and decision-making, measuring health system performance, health finance, and integrated health systems.
Health Informatics
Bachelor of Health Studies (BHS)
Specialized Honours
Computers, networks, mobile technology and apps are rapidly changing health and health care – everything from how we communicate with our health care providers, to how we get information, to how health care professionals collect, share and use electronic information that directly affects our health. Students learn how to analyze and evaluate information crucial to health care decision-making.
Health Policy
Bachelor of Health Studies (BHS)
Specialized Honours
Political, economic, cultural, and environmental considerations all factor into how health care decisions are made. In this program, students explore health care decision-making and the role of both government and non-government organizations. Important issues are covered, including the public/private mix in health care, integrated health systems, international health systems, the influence of stakeholder groups such as the pharmaceutical industry and more.
Health Studies
Honours Bachelor of Health Studies (BHS)
Not sure if you want to focus on Health Management, Informatics or Policy in your first year? Then choose Health Studies and explore all three. In addition to taking courses in management, informatics and policy, students study the breadth and depth of health and health care through a wide variety of issues and social contexts (e.g. social status and disability, homelessness), including case studies in health care in the community. Societal factors that determine why some people stay healthy and others become ill are also examined such as income, stress, early life, social exclusion, work conditions, unemployment, social support, mental health, addiction, food and transportation.
Health Studies offers students the flexibility to attain a double major or do a minor in other Faculty of Health or York programs. The program also provides students with the prerequisites for postgraduate study in a professional program (e.g. medicine, law) or graduate school.
Courses
All students, whether in the Specialized Honours options (Management, Informatics or Policy) or the Honours Bachelor of Health Studies option, take the same core courses, including:
• Health Management I • Health Policy: Power & Politics • Health Care Law
• Health Informatics I • Social Determinants of Health • Health Care Ethics
• Foundations of Health Studies
You can pursue this degree in conjunction with the Certificate in Health Informatics as well as the Health Services Financial Management Certificate.
You might be interested in other programs from the Faculty of Health or Health & Society.
Work Placement Opportunity
Specialized Honours students (Health Informatics, Health Management, Health Policy) have the opportunity to take a fourth year 10-week work placement with a community health care provider or organization.
Possible Career Paths:
- Health Care Manager
- Health Systems Planner
- Quality Performance Manager
- Information Coordinator
- Project Manager
- Health Policy Researcher
- Data Analyst
- Health Finance Manager
- Health Information Specialist
- Systems Designer
- Systems Integration Specialist
- Software Developer
- Health Human Resources Manager
- Health Policy Advisor/Analyst
- Community Health Worker
- Health Care Consultant
- Health Writer/Communications Professional
- Doctor*
- Nurse*
- Lawyer*
- Professor*
- Teacher*
*with further postgraduate training
Sample Schedule (First-year)
- Foundations of Health Studies
- Foundations of Health Studies II: Health on the Front Lines
- Making Sense of a Changing World: Anthropology Today (Recommended General Education Course)
- Introduction to Microeconomics (for Health Management, Health Informatics, and Health Policy Specialized Honours)
- Introduction to Business (for Health Management Specialized Honours)
- Information and Organizations (for Health Informatics Specialized Honours)
Possible Career Paths
Explore what you can do with your degree- health policy specialist/researcher
- health manager (HR, resources, systems)
- health information specialist
- information system designer
- data analyst
- clinic director
- project coordinator
- software developer
- health systems planner
- doctor
- lawyer
I am a high-school student
I have completed at least one year of full-time study at college or university
I have been away from high-school for at least two years
I have never studied in a formal academic high-school environment
Returning / Reactivating student (previously York)
Visiting Students
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
Baccalauréat Français
Minimum Requirements
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Terminale math
- A maximum of 30 possible transferable credits may be granted for successful completion of the Baccalauréat Général. Please click here, then click “Transfer Credit Requirements” for details.
Bachillerato
Minimum Requirements
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Minimum overall result of “Bien/Buena/Bueno/Good” on all academic courses.
- Some programs require a higher GPA.
- Senior-level math
CAPE
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- A minimum overall average of 3 out of 7 is required. Higher grades required for certain programs.
- 2-unit math
- CAPE 2-unit courses, with results of 3 or better, are eligible for transfer credit, up to a maximum of 18 credits. Please click here, then click “Transfer Credit Requirements” for details.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
- Extra courses will be assessed for transfer credit. Applicants with the DEC may be awarded up to one full year of transfer credit.
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
Chinese High School
Minimum Requirements
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Grade 12 math
Turkish High School
- Some programs require higher. Please review the requirements for your program below.
- Prerequisite courses should not be below a grade of 4.0 or 70%.
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
GCE
Minimum Requirements
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- A-level math
- GCE A2 examinations with results of "C" or better, are eligible for transfer credit, up to a maximum of 18 credits. Please click here, then click “Transfer Credit Requirements” for details.
To gain admission to this program, minimum average of C is required.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of C.
Hong Kong
Minimum Requirements
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Twelfth Year math
To gain admission to this program, successful completion of the Twelfth Year of senior studies with a minimum overall average of %cutoff.hk%/5.0 required.
International Baccalaureat
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- IB Diploma with passes in six subjects: three passes at the Standard-level and three passes at the Higher-level, or two passes at the Standard-level and four passes at the Higher-level
- Standard or higher-level math (Math Studies will not satisfy this requirement)
- Transfer credit is granted for IB courses with Higher-level final grades of 5 or better, to a maximum of 30 credits. Please click here, then click “Transfer Credit Requirements” for details.
To gain admission to this program, minimum IB diploma point scores of 28 is required.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires minimum IB diploma point scores of 28.
Indian High School
- Some programs require a higher average. Please review the requirements for your program below.
- Prerequisite courses should not be below a grade of 55%.
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- All-India Senior School Certificate (AISSCE)
- Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC)
- Indian School Certificate (ISC)
- Intermediate Examination Certificate
- Pre-University Examination Certificate
- Grade XII math
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- 4U math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
OUAC code YHE
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
BHSFaculty of Health
To be considered a mature student, you must:
Be at least 20 years old by the end of the calendar year of admission to the University
Have been out of full-time high school studies for at least two years or have returned to upgrade after a two year absence
Have attempted less than one full year of studies at an accredited university or college
Have demonstrated potential for success through academic, professional or volunteer activities and other accomplishments
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
Tawjihyah
Minimum Requirements
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
United States High School (including AP exams)
- SATs/ACTs are considered in combination with high school grades.
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
- AP College Board examinations are eligible for transfer credit, for results of 4 or 5, up to a maximum of 30 credits. Please click here, then click “Transfer Credit Requirements” for details.
West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or National Examinations Council (NECO)
Required Documents for Preliminary Review
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
BHSFaculty of Health
Requirements for admission:
- Senior-level math
To gain admission to this program, your academic average should be in the high 70s to mid-80s.Maintaining your offer of admission to this program requires a final academic average of 72.
You are required to provide official evidence of academic achievement in secondary education. This can be demonstrated through:
- Final grades under the Ontario curriculum (obtained through correspondence, night school or through TVO)
- Credentials through other curricula, such as results from Advanced Placement (AP) or Advanced-level courses in the General Certificate of Education (GCE). (Students may register to sit for the AP and GCE examinations as private candidates.)
In the absence of final grades in courses:
- You must submit the results of standardized tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) with a minimum combined total of 1170 on the Critical Reading and Math components or a composite American College Testing (ACT) score of 24.
- Your application will be reviewed by an admissions sub-committee. If admitted, you will not be eligible for entrance scholarships. You will be considered for continuing student scholarships at the end of your first year of study, if you satisfy those criteria.
You may also be required to provide proof of language proficiency. You will be considered for entrance scholarships on the basis of your overall averages in the six 4U/4M (Ontario curriculum) or equivalent courses.